Banko Bowen

Diversity colors everything in New York City, from the faces you pass to the strange pairings of buildings. On one particularly odd street sits Alico's Diner. The moment you walk in, you shed the despair of the outside world-ominously embodied by the menacing prison across the street.

When the diner door closes gently behind you, however, you are home. Perhaps it's the delicious smells and the cozy warmth, or simply the owner's policy that everyone gets treated like family. Nevertheless, whether you're a celebrity or correctional officer, you'll soon forget you were ever a stranger to Alico's.

But as the staff and regulars plan a celebration for one of their own, a shadow falls.

In Banko Bowen, a fascinating cast of unique people are thrown together in everyday life. The story slowly emerges through a string of candid character sketches that poignantly point to the simple truth that everyone matters-no matter who they are or what they've done. But as their stories weave together, a single tragedy threatens them all.

A. Alico is an emerging novelist with a unique style. Not wanting to be pinned down to a single approach or genre, each of his stories is not only different from those of other writers, but is even distinct among his own works. Banko Bowen is his fourth published piece of fiction, and it will keep you guessing until the very last page. His other books include The Uninvited and Logistics of a Criminal.